Plot & Character
Lesley
Eames |
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Lesley Eames is a writer of fiction
and currently the secretary of Verulam Writer's Circle. She has
sold a number of short stories to magazines such as Women's Weekly
& My Weekly, and is regular winner of the Circle's in-house
competitions.
This is a precis of the talk
she made to the Circle on 11June 2003 during our Editing Workshop. |
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Plot
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A story doesn't have to have a surprise ending,
but there should still be some sort of suspense - conflict or
a question (who? what? why? how?) that isn't resolved until the
end. Alternatively there can be a moral eg be careful what you
wish for, that doesn't appear until the end. There has to be
some sort of answer that the reader wants to find out enough
to keep reading. So: |
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Does your opening hook the reader in? |
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Do you maintain your suspense until near the
end? If you've put tantalising hints in have you overplayed your
hand and given the game away? If you haven't put tantalising
hints in, could you do so? If you've gone for a series of hooks
or questions make sure you haven't answered one before you've
set up the next one ie make sure there's a reason for the reader
to keep on reading. |
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Do you stay focussed on the plot or have you
gone off at a tangent? If you've included things that aren't
directly relevant to the plot do you really need them? If you
think you do need them, be clear about what they're adding to
the story. |
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Have you used 10 words where 1 will do? Succinctness
adds pace where wordiness bores. Resist the temptation to pad
to achieve a certain word count. Instead of padding up consider
cutting down instead or, if you need to make it longer, think
about adding to or twisting the plot. |
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Look at the devices you've used to develop
the plot. Can dialogue move it along in a way that's lighter,
snappier, funnier for instance? |
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Don't forget that show is generally better
than tell. |
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Does your ending ring true in the light of
all that's gone before it? Have you tied up all your loose ends?
Consider how you want your reader to feel at the end - happy,
sad, amused. Does your ending achieve this? I once read that
a good opening to a story sells that particular story, a good
ending sells the next story. Will your ending leave your reader
wanting to read more of your work? |
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Character
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1 |
Is every character serving a purpose? If not
do you really need them all? The more characters there are, the
more scope there is for reader confusion so consider deleting
any that aren't giving some sort of value to the story. |
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Are you clear on your angle character or characters?
The fewer there are the more intimate a story is. For this reason
make sure you give your reader direct access to the thoughts
of the angle characters only. |
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Decide on the balance of power between your
characters, and if this shifts through the story make sure the
shift is realistic. |
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Are the characters consistent through the
story in terms of physical appearance, speech patterns, behaviour
etc. If not then again make sure any changes are realistic. |
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Are the characters sufficiently three dimensional?
Know them well enough to be aware what they'd say or do in any
situation. Make them real. |
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Are the characters sufficiently distinct from
each other? If reader confusion is possible or there isn't enough
spark between characters consider giving them differences, such
as a particular speech pattern or a reason for antagonism... |
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With the show not tell rule in mind, make
the most of dialogue to establish character, physical appearance,
etc, both of the person speaking and the person being spoken
to or about. |
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Have you made the most of your characters
in terms of plot development? Can, for instance, a conversation
establish plot or move it along? |
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How do you want your reader to feel about
each character? Will you achieve this in the light of the way
you have presented your characters? If not, what can you do to
make them softer, funnier, smarter, etc? |
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